Web Site for Parents of New Drivers in Maryland

	Maryland Website for Parents of Young Drivers

Principal Investigator:
Dr. Kenneth H. Beck

Technical Director:
Dr. Min Qi Wang

The contribution of the following organizations is acknowledged:

Maryland Highway Safety Office

This web site was developed by the
Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland, with the support of the
Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration and the Maryland Highway Safety Office

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Most parents underestimate the problem of teens' drinking and driving. Research shows that young drivers are involved in alcohol-related crashes more often than any other age group.

U.S. Statistics

A national study of 11th and 12th grade high school students found that:
82% had tried alcohol
52% had drank in the past 30 days
35% had 5 or more drinks on the same occasion in the past 30 days
19% had driven a car after drinking in the past 30 days
31% had ridden with a drinking driver in the past 30 days
Males (25%) were more likely than females (14%) to drive after drinking. (Grunbaum et al., 2001)
Young drinking drivers are involved in fatal crashes at twice the rate of drivers aged 21 and older (NHTSA, 2000).
In 2001, 8137 young drivers were involved in alcohol-related crashes (NHTSA, 2001b, p. 4).
In 2001, 25% of young drivers killed in car crashes were intoxicated (NHTSA, 2001b, p.4).
Five times as many alcohol-related crashes occur at night as compared to day (15% vs. 3%) (NHTSA, 2001a, p.2).
About 3 times as many young people die in alcohol-related crashes, per day, on weekends than on weekdays (NHTSA, 2000).

Maryland Statistics

Maryland's driving law has "Zero Tolerance" for underage drinking.
A 2002 survey of Maryland 12th grade students showed that:
70% had tried alcohol (MAS, 2003, chap. 3, p. 13)
44.3% had drank in the past 30 days (MAS, 2003, chap. 3, p. 13)
28.8% had 5 or more drinks on the same occasion in the past 30 days (MAS, 2003, chap. 3, p. 13)
27.9% of those licensed had driven a car after drinking one to four drinks (MAS, 2003, chap. 8, p. 77)
Of those who had ever tried alcohol, 37.1% had ridden with a drinking driver (MAS, 2003, chap. 5, p. 46)
43.2% had tried marijuana or hashish. (MAS, 2003, chap. 3, p. 30)
21.0% had used marijuana or hashish in the past 30 days. (MAS, 2003, chap. 3, p. 32)
11.0% of those licensed had driven once or twice under the influence of marijuana. (MAS, 2003, chap. 8, p. 71)
15.8% of those licensed had driven three or more times under the influence of marijuana. (MAS, 2003, chap. 8, p. 71)
11.8% of those licensed had driven while using a drug other than marijuana. (MAS, 2003, chap. 8, p. 71)
31.3% of those licensed who had ever tried drugs had ridden with a drug using driver. (MAS, 2003, chap. 5, p. 47)
14.1% reported having driven on at least one occasion after having had as many as five or more drinks. (MAS, 2003, chap. 8, p. 71)

The following graph shows that the rate of Maryland teen drivers who were using alcohol at the time of a crash, per 10,000 licensed teen drivers, has increased since 1999 (NSC, 2003, p.9)

Source: National Study Center for Trauma and Emergency Medical Systems Web Site: http://nsc.umaryland.edu/

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